Plane Impacted Trees In Arcadia Cemetery In Yarmouth County

The pilot of an airplane that in published photos appears to be a Piper Cub said that worsening weather conditions caused ice to form in his carburetor and forced him to attempt an emergency landing Sunday morning, and he wound up with his airplane tangled in a tree at Arcadia Cemetery in Yarmouth County in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The pilot was 54-year-old Dave Arenburg. He had been working on touch-and-go landings Sunday morning when he experienced what he determined was carburetor icing in the engine, and the Cub lost power. While he wasn't far from the airport, he told The Vanguard newspaper that he knew he would not be able to make it back to the runway.

His first choice for an emergency landing was a field near the airport, but as he continued his descent, it became apparent that he would not make that spot or a second field he had identified. He took his third option ... a stand of trees at the cemetery. He said going for the trees would help slow the airplane down as it approached the ground.

Arenburg as largely uninjured in the accident, though a fire department spokesperson said he suffered some minor chemical burns but did not elaborate. The plane had been removed from the tree by Monday morning.

FMI: www.tsb.gc.ca/eng